One Piece Horizons
by Sam in the Dark
Summary: The Second Pirate Era has begun! A young mechanic decides to take on the world and become the King of the Pirates! OC's accepted.
1. Chapter 1

**In the history of the world, there have been four men who have defied the entire world.**

**The first was Fisher Tiger, who captured victory against those who enslaved his people, and crushed their power by himself. The second was Gold Roger, the first Pirate King, who with his dyeing words, created an era. The Third was Monkey D. Dragon, the father of the Revolution.**

**But greatest of all was the fourth.**

**To pirates, he was a king. To Marines, he was a monster. To his friends, loyal to death, to his enemies, a nightmare. He was Monkey D. Luffy, the Second Pirate King. And today, he was going to die.**

**Thousands had flooded the square to see this. Before his execution platform stood four admirals, and before them stood the most elite of the world government. Kings from across the world were their, pirates of all the seas stood in the crowd, disguised. Even the Celestial Dragons were present, for it was said that none hated the King so much as them.**

**His smile was unnerving to the executioners. They had seen smiles before, this was unlike any. Some pirates smiled terrified smiles, trying to be brave in the face of death. Some had contented smile, ready for death after a painful life. And some had sly smiles, smiles that were often followed by rescue attempts by their crews.**

**This was none of these. Just a smile. A lazy smile. You'd think that the Pirate King was just going to the beach.**

"**So, you guys gonna let me go?" He idly asked one of the executioners. The man shook his head. "Worth a shot." The king replied. He sat down on the platform, awaiting his doom.**

**What happened next was close to unbelievable.**

"**Pirate King!" a voice from the crowd screamed. "Did you find it?"**

**As soon as the words left his lips, marines began advancing on him.**

"**Sure." The king called back. "Couldn't do much with it, though. My Navigator is sort of a hoarder."**

**The Dragons were outraged. Sheltered as they were, they knew what was about to happen.**

"**So I left the whole thing…"**

**The executioner raised his blade. This nightmare could not start again!**

"**I left the whole thing in that place."**

**The blade fell.**

"**GO CLAIM IT!!!!"**

**The World Government could fight. They could hunt down every pirate in the world, they could slay every man, woman and child who spoke the name of the second king. But they had no power over what he had just created.**

**The Second Pirate Era had begun.**

* * *

"It won't work."

"It will totally work!"

The argument was carried out by two boys, standing on top of a huge wooden ramp. On the top of said ramp sat a winged device, with a long tail and exposed machinery in front. A plane.

"Let me see if I can spell this out for you." The first boy began. "Across the world, the World Government and Wave Republic are working day and night to make this technology work. They have the greatest minds in the entire world on their sides, but neither one has managed to create more than one fleet. And they're the ones _succeeding _at it. Face it, Vic, if you aren't working for one of them, you will _Never _build a flight engine."

"Vulco Shmitt did it."

"You aren't Vulco Shmitt."

"Shut up, Sarner!" The second boy snarled. He was a pale lad, with a mess of black hair atop his head, and every inch of him filthy with soot. He wore a pair of overalls, splattered with oil stains, and a belt covered with tools. A pair of goggles adorned his forehead.

"I worked out the bugs from the last time. It's sure to fly now!" Vic continued.

"Which is what you said the last twelve times!" Sarner yelled, utterly exasperated. He was dressed a bit similarly, a boy with messy blond hair and blue eyes. "Look, you're my friend, Vic, and I am trying to keep you from killing yourself."

"You'll change your tune when you see this." Vic guaranteed. He climbed into the cockpit of the device. He immediately began flipping switches inside, and the engine hummed to life. The propellers began to spin.

"Call the press, Sarner, I'm gonna be huge!"

"Sure. But I think I should call a doctor first. You ok with that?"

"Shut up, Sarner." Vic mumbled. The plane began to roll down the track slowly…the accelerated to breakneck speed.

_Come on…I'm gonna get past gliding today…_He thought. The plane sped down the track, flying off the edge….and shot straight forward, flying over the forested mountain at a vertical slope.

"Yes!" Vic yelled. He had gotten passed the first hurdle, his flight engine could start a glide. Of course, it had done the same thing the last time as well. As he flew over the forest below, and toward town, Vic decided to put his plane to the ultimate test….gaining altitude. He flipped a switch within the cockpit, pulled up, and….nothing happened.

Confused, he flipped the switch a few more times. Still nothing. Then he heard a strange, puttering noise from the back.

_Oh no…_

The plane began accelerating very fast, strait towards the village. Vic tried to steer, knowing it was pointless, and the plane plummeted right into the middle of town. Villagers scattered all over the place to avoid the mechanical missile hurtling towards town. It tore through several stalls, sending produce flying everywhere, until it finally stopped at the statue in the middle of town. Both shattered, and Vic was sent flying, landing face first in a pile of hay.

Struggling for balance, Vic pulled himself to his feet.

"Ok. Apparently the engine has no setting other than really, really fast, and the plane won't steer while it's on." He mumbled to himself. "Damn, why does that keep happening?! Maybe if I- "

"Tesla D. Vic!" a deep voice rang out. Vic turned white with fear. He knew that voice.

"Report to my office. We have to discuss this." Boomed the Mayor.

* * *

The two sat in silence in the dark office, the elder with an expression somewhere between confusion and rage, and the younger seemingly unsure as to whether he should look casual or defiant. Finally, the Mayor spoke.

"What happened today?" He asked casually. Vic immediately launched into an explanation.

"Well, I thought that by tying the steering controls partially into the flight unit I could-"

"That is not what I mean, Vic." The Mayor interrupted. "We have talked about this before, haven't we?"

"I can't remember…you were pretty vague. Anyway, I'm gonna fix this with the Skytalon Mark 14 – "

"There will be no 'Mark 14', Vic. This is the third time I have told you, no more planes!"

"What kind of attitude is that?!" Vic exploded. "What about all of that stuff you said about 'moving forward' when you were campaigning last month?"

"That was about produce." The mayor responded, wincing at the earlier comment. Though the town had elections, no one ever ran except him. Really, people were happy with his leadership, and there was no reason for him to campaign. He just enjoyed speaking.

"Vic, I know what you are going through. When I was young, I also had a hard time deciding what to do with my life. Did you know that before you were born – "

"The World Government controlled everything and the military ran the town." Vic finished for him sarcastically.

"Yes…" Said the Mayor, a bit taken aback. "But when it fell into chaos, it was I that took the reigns, and our pleasant little farming island has been happily independent ever since. Aeronautics is the territory of big government, why would we need it here. Your talents would be better put to use-"

"Maintaining the great clock tower, right?" Vic responded automatically. "Mister Harbo, I don't want to spend my entire life in a tower, I want to be free! To travel the world, like Vulco Shmitt, or Strawhat-"

"DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!!" Mayor Harbo yelled. "For you father's sake, I am willing to tolerate you devotion to that rogue Shmitt, but never idolize the Second King! That man brought chaos to the entire world, and that is nothing to be proud of!" He would have likely continued if not for an urgent knock at the door.

A man blundered in, well dressed and well shaved. He was looking around in a state of panic.

"Mister Harbo? Th – there's a man here to see you…from the World Government." Not a moment after he finished the sentence did the stoutest man that Vic had ever seen waddle into the room. He war a military uniform, and had a white handlebar mustache that dominated his otherwise uninteresting face.

"Greetings." The dwarf spoke. "I am Lieutenant Lawron Blannery. Do I have the pleasure of addressing the mayor of this fine island?"

"You do." Harbo said, a bit nervous.

"I represent the Reformation of Justice, an effort made by the World Government to re – unite her stray kingdoms. I am certain the wise mayor has a moment for me?"

"I do," The mayor said, cautiously. "But I am not certain I can accept this. Pastori has been neutral for almost ten years, and has prospered through it. We can trade with any island, free of tariffs, and-"

"And very exposed to danger." Blannery interrupted. "I noted upon entering that this town does not have much of a garrison. Are you aware that the Wave Republic has been hiring pirates, allowing them to pillage and plunder to their hearts content against anyone not loyal to them?"

"Yes. I have also heard of the Warlords." The mayor responded coldly. Vic had never seen him talk like this to an adult before.

Blannery seemed confused. "Let me explain – "

"No, let me explain." Harbo interrupted. "We have survived just fine up until now, and I will not bow to threats. Pastori remains neutral. This discussion is over." There was something Vic had never heard before in his voice…a cold rage that terrified everyone in the room.

"Well…"the captain started. "Our offer remains open should you change your mind."

"Don't wait too long." The mayor growled. The captain left the room with something between terror and rage.

"Get out of here." Harbo mumbled to Vic. Following the captain's example, Vic made himself scarce.

* * *

"Stop working on planes. Ha! He starts threatening navy captains but I'm not allowed to work on planes?" Vic grumbled as he reached the stairs of the clock tower. It was impressive, to say the least, by far the largest of its kind in the East Blue. But to Vic, it felt very small, confining his great ambition.

"So, how did the flight go?" Sarner asked sarcastically as Vic walked in.

"No one cares what you think, Sarner." Vic snarled.

"I'm just saying, it's not realistic to think you'll actually get something to fly."

"Oh, and your dream is, Mr. King of the Pirates?"

"That's different." Sarner said. "Building a plane is about genius. Being king of the pirates is about dreams."

"Heh." Vic chuckled. "Tell you what. I'll become the worlds greatest Aeronaught, and you become King of the Pirates. They'll speak our names for generations!"

"Yeah," Sarner laughed. "Don't know how that will happen here, though. Nothing ever happens in this – "

**BOOM!!**

A cannonball tore through the clock. Both boys panicked. As Vic looked through the window, he saw it. A ship floating in the bay…and a crew of murderers descending from it.

They reached the shore, laughing madly as terrified townsfolk ran for cover. Then, their captain approached. He was a tall man, lean and wicked looking, with sunken cheeks and bags under his eyes. A four foot long sword sat across his back. The mayor stepped forward to meet him.

"What is your business here, pirate!?" Harbo demanded, looking as if he was trying to look braver than he was.

"What do you think, old man?" The captain cackled. "But see, I'm not a pirate. Look." He pointed to his mast. Under a rather generic jolly roger flew a flag marked with a pillar of crossing swords.

"My name is One Stroke Lillack, and I am a privateer for the Wave Republic."

"Well, then I would make yourself scarce." The mayor blustered. "Just today, a World Government officer was here, and –"

"Who do you think told us about this Island, old man?" Lillack interrupted. The mayor went white as a ghost.

"Oh yes," the rogue continued. "The World Government has a price on my head. But every once in a while, they give us a tip about a neutral island with no defenses, a punishment for those who don't join them. In other word, I'm gettin' paid by both sides!"

"No clever words?" He asked the stunned mayor. "Fine." Quick as lightning, he had drawn his blade, and struck the old man down.

"Alright!" He yelled. "Let's get looting!" His ravenous minions needed no second bidding. They charged among the people, taking everything they could, slaying those who would not comply, all while their captain laughed like a jackal. "Freedom for all living things! Brought upon a dragon's wings!" He sang loudly, a drunken parody of the Wave Republic anthem.

In the clock tower, the two young mechanics watched with horror. Sarner spoke first.

"We have to do something." He said. Vic looked stunned.

"What are we gonna do against all of those guys?!" He yelled. "There's gotta be like fifty of them!"

"What would Monkey D. Luffy and Vulco Shmitt do?" Sarner responded. Vic seemed like he was about to reply, but stopped, suddenly lost in thought. He looked around the room, his yes suddenly settling on the wreaked flight engine from earlier that day.

"Hey Sarner…" he asked. "Wanna help me with something?"

* * *

"I'd like to thank you all for your cooperation." Lillack chuckled. Before him stood the whole town, terrified and defenseless before his mob. "It's always a shame to spill unnecessary blood. Now before I go, I have to do a little courtesy call to my boss." He cleared his throat.

"On behalf of the Wave Republic, justice has been served!" his whole crew laughed uproariously, their captain loudest of all.

"But seriously, you rubes can't possibly think neutrality is viable, can you?" Lillack continued. He failed to notice the influx of smoke coming from the top of the shattered clock tower. "Here, let me give you some advice. Nothing in this world matters except power. The strong take it, and the weak give it up. There is nothing else to it. Nothing! And as soon as you realize that, you'll be-"

At that moment, a heavily smoking object came flying out of the clock tower. It spun wildly through the air, a chugging, puttering sound blaring in all directions from it. It's turbulent flight through the sky ended as it suddenly curved downward, exploding in a giant blast of fire. Right in the middle of a group of pirates.

"What the hell just happened!?" Lillack screamed. He was reasonably shocked, about half of his men had just been sent flying, and were likely not going to be of use to him.

"An accident, perhaps." One of his crew asserted. "Maybe there was a mechanism in the tower that blew out…some kind of furnace we hit with our cannon."

"No accident." Two voices said in unison, as two forms exited the smoking form of the tower. Lillack stared at them in rage.

"Who're the corpses who just pulled that!?!?" he screeched.

As the smoke cleared, two boys stood in the doorway. Both held what looked like huge Swiss army knives with…sword handles?

"We are the Mechanics of Pastori!" Sarner announced. "And this is our town!"

"Yeah, so we'll give you a chance to run!" Vic taunted.

Lillack just stared for a moment. Then, he began to chuckle. Then laugh. A terrible screeching laugh.

"Kids." He snarled. "Half my force got taken out by KIDS!" He laughed even louder.

"Yeah, and we'll take the other half out too!" yelled Vic, hoping he sounded convincing.

"Oh, I don't think you understand." Lillack said through his teeth, a mad smile on his face. "See, I can never let this get out, this can't have happened. So now, everyone in this village has to die!" Screams rang out.

"But," he continued. "Since you boys asked so nicely…" he turned to his remaining crew and smiled. "I think I'll do you the honor of ending you two myself!" He began to charge them, and on his sword.

Sarner looked at Vic. All of the brawls the two of them had had as kids were about to pay off. Lillack finally reached them, sword draw. He sliced downward.

"**Multitool Srike! Wrench!"** Lillack found that his sword had been blocked by a wrench that had sprouted out of the device that Sarner was holding. The boy was struggling to hold him back, but even so, Lillack was stunned that a _child _had stopped his blade. He didn't have much time to think about it, though.

"**Multitool Strike! Hammer!" **A huge mallet had now sprouted from Vic's weapon, which he used to hit the man as hard as he could in the stomach.

Lillack stumbled backward, clutching his gut, thanking Kaazan that they didn't have the sense to push the attack.

"Kid." He wheezed at the two of them. "Who the hell are you?"

Neither knew who was being addressed, so Sarner answered first.

"My name is Albert D. Sarner, and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" he proclaimed.

"King…a noble ambition…." Lillack mumbled. "You win…I'll leave."

This seemed to good to be true. They had won! Vic turned to look as their defeated opponent…and noticed something. He was frantically making motions with his off hand toward his ship.

**BOOM!**

A cannonball tore out of the galley, directly toward the three of them. Lillack laughed, running backward…and tripping on a stray piece of rubble, stunning himself. The cannon hit it's mark, toppling the clock tower on the tree of them.

* * *

Vic awakened with a start. He was in a bed in the town doctor's house. Two World Government Marines stood at the door. In front of him sat the doctor, and he saw Mayor Harbo on a bed beside him. His left arm screamed with pain.

"You're awake." The doctor stated. Vic looked at him dumbly.

"What happened?" the boy asked.

"After the clock tower fell, a World Government ship arrived. They cleaned up the rest of the pirates, but…well, we're a World Government province now."

"Why did – ahhhh!" he yelled. "Why does my arm hut so much?"

The doctor sighed, as if unsure what to say. "It's…it's called a phantom pain."

"What does that mean?!" Vic demanded, sitting up…and then he realized.

The doctor faltered. "Your arm…it was buried under too much wreckage…it was becoming gangrenous…If you had kept it you wouldn't have lived."

Vic stared blankly at his shoulder. He never imagined this…but….

"What about Sarner!?" he suddenly yelled.

The doctor sighed, looking away. "He…the navy took him…gave him a burial at sea…"

"NO!" Vic yelled. "You're lying! He can't be dead! He – he was going to be the Pirate King!" The guards advanced at this, then backed off upon more thought.

"I'm sorry, Vic." The doctor mumbled. He left the room, taking the marines with him.

Vic screamed for the next few hours. He screamed until his throat felt like it burned. He screamed and screamed and screamed. Then he cried. But through his tears his drive began to grow.

"Fine." He snarled. "If you can't do it…if they've taken the chance from you… then I will." He stuck his left fist in the air and yelled.

"I WILL BE KING OF THE PIRATES!!!!!"

* * *

_Seven Years Later_

Vic sat atop the flight ramp. He hadn't been able to make as many fights as before, the marine officials were harsher with the destruction that they caused. But this was different. It was time.

"Hey you!" A voice yelled from below. Several Marines stood at the bottom of the ramp, and a few more were climbing it. When they reached the top, one addressed him rudely.

"How many times…flight over this island is illegal. Do you want us to take you to jail?"

"One little problem with that." Vic responded. "That's a law. Pirates don't care about laws."

"Why you…" one of the officers pulled out a nightstick and attempted to strike him with it, only to have it caught by Vic's right hand.

"Hey officer."

The man tensed as he say Vic's _left fist_ ball up.

"Wanna see my greatest creation? Okay!" His fist shot up.

"**Pressure 1…Iron Hammer!"**

All the marines atop the ramp seemed as if they were hit by an explosion. Four men went flying back, hitting the ground hard.

Vic waved to them with a steel left hand. Not desiring any more trouble, he jumped into the cockpit of the _Skytalon mark Twenty, _and started the engine.

The plane shot down the ramp, ripping into the sky like a missile. It tore across the clouds, gaining altitude that put the other planes he had built to shame. Vic lowered his goggles over his head, and smiled.

"Time to fufill both of our dreams." He said.

**So yes, I am doing a Next Gen one piece story. And, like all of it's kind, I will be allowing people to give me characters for it. As so:**

**Name: (Full Name)**

**Age:**

**Gender:**

**Specialty/Position: (Thief, Marksman, Navigator, Swordsman? What is your Character good at and what would their position on the crew be?)**

**Race: (for this, Human, Fishman, mermaid, Giant, Skypian, Amazon, or Okama )**

**Devil Fruit/Weapon/Attacks: (Devil Fruit are not required. Please make a list of attacks/weapons used)**

**Physical Appearance: (Be as descriptive as possible, please)**

**History: (Again, descriptive is good)**

**Personality: (Include positive traits, negative traits, hobbies, fears and whatever else you can think about.**

**Likes:**

**Dislikes:**

**Dream:**

**Other: (Anything else you can think to add)**

**A word of warning:**

**1)I am looking for fun backstories, first and foremost. **

**2)Don't feel like your character needs to have a devil fruit, either. Remember, Zoro has no devil fruit.**

**3)Ussop is mu favorite character. Do not be afraid to give me a character that is not a monster.**

**4) At present, submit whatever you'd like, but I seek a devil fruitless swordsman.**

**Ok, that's all. Remember to review!**


	2. Horrible Crash! The Adventure Begins!

**It is high time for an update.**

**Mmmmm, hold on. I do not own One Piece. I really doubt that Oda – Sensei would mind if I said that I did, but.....**

* * *

If it wasn't almost lethal at this height, Vic would have been dancing.

It was too good to be true. He had finally done it, finally gotten a machine to fly. It wasn't easy. The new mayor was far lass forgiving than Harbo had been. But none of that mattered. He had done it. Tesla D. Vic was an Aeronaught, just like his childhood hero!

No. Not just like his hero. Until he flew across the Grand line, he did not dare compare himself to Shmitt. Even so, this was a glowing accomplishment. He was almost in the clouds now! A small seagull flew past his plane. Vic leaned out.

"Hey, Birdy!" he laughed. "Becha never saw someone this high up before, huh? Surprised?" Predictably, the bird did not respond, it only kept following the plane. Vic laughed. "So, jealous of me, Birdy? I can fly all day without lifting a finger. Does all that flapping make you tired?" Vic continued to taunt. He didn't really know why he was making fun of this bird it couldn't understand him but he was having far too mush fun flying to care.

After growing board with the bird, Vic began to look at the future. Really, the goals were hand in hand, or could be. If things went this well, he could just fly to the One Piece and fulfill both of their dreams...but then, that wasn't what Sarner would have wanted. He always had talked about gathering a crew and sailing the world in search of adventure. So, convenience had to wait. But then...

"I think," Vic said aloud. "that I will fly to the Grand Line, and then sail the world with a crew." It seemed reasonable. The only problem was that he really didn't have a clue where the Grand Line even was. He looked at his compass, the one he had worked into the dashboard. No good. It was spinning to fast.

_ Wait..._

Vic removed his goggles, determined to see if what he saw was true. It was. The needle of the compass was spinning out of control. Vic growned. "This cant be good."

At that moment, the controls went mad. The normally straight flying plane suddenly tore into a barrel roll, almost hurling Vic from the seat. It then began spinning erratically, stopping, starting, almost shutting off before lurching back to life again. Vic tried to detribalize the controls, but there was nothing he could do. According to everything he had read about planes and that was quite a bit there was nothing wrong with the plane! It was like it had a mind of it's own, and that some cruel spirit or god had decided that that mind should be totally insane!

"Damn...damn damn damn damn DAMN!" Vic shouted. "How can this possibly get any worse?!"

It would be quite some time before Vic ever used that phrase again. He never really believed in curses, so he saw no problem speaking the words that had doomed so many men before him. As the Skytalon spiraled upward it was greeted by an interesting sight. Were this any other situation, Vic would have been amazed, and terrible confused. He would have asked why, or how something like this could be possible. But spinning through the air on a mad plane, at an utterly stupid height above the ground, giant serpent that looked down at him inspired nothing but panic.

"YAAAAAAAAAAGH!" he screamed, stopping his current action and beginning to pull down on the controls. Interestingly, the plane responded fine to this. It began to fall, almost in a vertical motion, hurtling out of the sky. Vic was confused, terrified, enraged, and above all else, in a state of blind panic.

And to top all of this off, as he fell, he could swear that he heard the squawking laugh of a seagull.

* * *

It was absolutely certain. Vic knew he was going to be the King of the Pirates, as no one else could have survived that ridiculous fall. After the accident, he had looked over the ruins of his plane, piked up the Flight Unit, and started off down the road. No other part of the plane was as irreplaceable...or carryable. He took his bag, his Multitool, the Unit, gave his arm a quick systems check and departed. About a mile down the road, Vic realized that he should have brought the compass as well, but was far too lazy and too lost to go back for it.

The compass would have done him little good, in any case. For it to work, he would have to know where he was, to have some idea of what direction to head in. So he followed the road. Vic had no idea that there were any islands as big and dry as this.

Eventually, he found a fork in the road, marked by a small sign. It pointed left and right, one side faded, the other side proclaiming "Tarlin Village."

"Tarlin." Vic mumbled, exhausted from walking. "Well, better then nowhere." He continued onward, hoping to have some kind of plan by the time he got there. It didn't take long. Apparently, the reason that the sign was so well maintained was because the town itself was only a mile away. It was a new sight, to be sure. It wasn't much bigger than Pastori Town, but it seemed quite a bit more...advanced. The streets were paved, the buildings were all made of brick, and, to Vic's dismay, a World Government Flag flew in the center of town.

"Okay." Vic mumbled. "So clearly, I'm not in the South Blue." He didn't have a moment more to think before he heard an odd voice in the middle of town. It sounded somewhat like a sick duck.

"Do you think I'm being funny? Look at my face! Is this the face of a funny man?! IS IT!?!?!?"

What Vic saw war rather amusing. A tall, bone skinny man with white hair, wearing a blue suit that looked like it was made of felt, was berating a smaller, official looking fellow.

"Captain, I really don't see the necessity here. Moral is low enough, and a public execution will only make it worse!"

"Why are you speaking? Did I ask you to speak?! No!! I asked you to execute a dangerous criminal, which, for some reason, you refuse to do!!!!" Spit flew from the man's mouth like bullets from a Gatling gun. The official looking man seemed determined to be heard over the waterfall of spittle and rage.

"With all due respect, we need to try her!"

"Try her? Like a bunch of Wave Republic Patricians?! Willard, have you forgotten that this is the World Government, and that we must exact absolute justice?!? That woman is a murderer, and I will see her die for it! And so will everyone in Tarlin, justice must be served!!!!"

Willard sighed. "Very well. Tomorrow morning it is, then. I hope you are right."

"DO NOT QUESTION ME!!!!!" the tall man screamed again, before storming off in a blind rage. Willard departed in a different direction. Vic looked at the scene, dumbfounded. Who was getting executed? What had they done to upset that guy so much? He kept wondering until he saw a small cage hanging in the middle of town, from a post in the middle of the square. A person sitting in it.

Vic slowly approached the cage. It looked a bit like an iron birdcage for a person, and swung on a rusty chain. Vic also noticed that in front of the cage sat a decently sized claymore. It was beautiful and looked very deadly.

Vic began to think about it. Sure, he had weapons, but this...this was too good to pass up. He began to reach toward the blade

"Misora is not a toy."

Vic almost jumped as he realized that the woman in the cage was still alive. A dark haired woman in excellent shape sat cross legged in the cage. He expression was rather angry.

"Hey, calm down," Vic responded. "I was only looking at it."

"Yeah, right. I know that look." She responded coldly. "What are you here for, come to gawk at the terrible monster who almost killed Captain Shnellem?"

"Shnellem?"

"The idiot who was screaming a few seconds ago." she said, like it was the most obvious fact known to man.

"Oh. Are you the one who pissed him off so much? Why'd ya try to kill him?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"You don't answer any."Vic quipped.

The woman laughed. "You are a bit of a pest, aren't you? Okay, I'll talk, but first, I want to know your name."

Vic shrugged. "Sure, ok. I'm Tesla D. Vic, and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates."

There was silence between them for a moment. Then, the girl broke out laughing. Vic growled.

"What's so funny? Don't think I can do it?"

"No, it was the way you said that. You were so sure. But no, you'll fail."

"How would you know?!"

"You just wandered into town, idiot, and you don't seem that strong. Do you even have a crew?"

"Good point. You wanna join up?" Vic said, as if he was asking for a drink. The woman stared at him for a second before bursting out laughing again. Vic rolled his eyes and started walking away. However, he did not get very far.

"Stop!! Who are you!?!? Consorting with prisoners is illegal and punishable by death!!!" It would seem that Shnellem had returned, now supported by a vanguard of marines. Vic sighed.

"Do I have to go over this again? Fine. My name is Tesla D. Vic, and I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"

The entire square went silent, one could hear the insects skittering across the ground. The silence was finally broken by the captain.

"WHAT!?!?!?" DIE, YOU INSOLENT WORM!!!!!!!" he pulled out a pistol, and fired it at Vic's chest. Vic took the blow right to the shoulder...and it ricocheted! Shnellem looked on in disbelief, as did the girl in the cage.

"That's it? That's really it?" Vic asked. "Okay, if you say so, my turn!" he wound up his left arm.

"**Pressure One....**

As he threw the punch, his hand flew off of his wrist, only attached by an iron wire.

"**IMPACT!!"**

As his fist hit the captain, or perhaps the ground around the captain, dust flew up everywhere, and the marines flew backward like paper dolls. Shnellem ran away cursing.

Vic turned arrogantly back to the cage. "So, what were you saying about me being what the?!?"

The girl had somehow smashed through the door of her cage, and was standing there, holding her sword, grinning.

"Wow, Vic, you really pack a punch!" She laughed.

"How did "

"Oh, I could have escaped at any time." She said. "By the way, my name's Iris, Swordswoman extrodinare and warrior of the Hibari-Ryu."

"So, will you join my crew?" Vic asked. Iris smiled.

"Tell you what." She said. "I will if we can get out of here ok."

"Why would we have a problem with "

At that moment, Vic became aware of the surroundings. All of the streets that lead to the center of town were filled with thugs. Vic looked at Iris.

"Did I not mention that the psychopath has an army of thugs? Sorry."

"Wonderful." Vic griped.

* * *

**Ok, another chapter done. I know hunger...give me villains and doctors!**


	3. Battle! The Savage Feral!

**Sammy San is terrifically sorry for how long this has taken.**

**Disclaimer: There would be a fishman on the Thousand Sunny if I owned One Piece.**

"So." Vic mumbled to Iris. "Why'd he get the scabs?"

"Huh?"

"Those goons don't have uniforms, and as I remember it, the World Government is pretty strict about stuff like that. So who are these guys?"Iris laughed.

"It's an inland town in the North Blue, so there's not much fear of an attack, and that means it doesn't need to be as garrisoned as most." She rolled her eyes. "Shnellem didn't like that much, so he hired a bunch of bandits to enforce the law."

"We're in the North Blue?" Vic mumbled, and was quickly smacked in the face.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"

"HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW WHAT OCEAN YOU'RE ON!?" Iris barked back.

"Hey, don't talk to your captain that way!"

"What, did you sleepwalk here?!"

The two continued to shout at each other as the mercs watched, confused. Finally, one of them took aim with his rifle, pointing the barrel at the back of Iris's head.

"Remember." a man beside him whispered. "only kill the swordswoman. That whiny captain wants the other one alive."

"Right." The gunner mumbled. He finished lining up his shot, and fired.

Faster than Vic's eyes could follow, the strange, belligerent woman had drawn her sword, raising it as if to chop him in half. Vic raised his left arm in defense, certain that his earlier guess that she was insane was correct. But the blow never fell.

"Bastards." he heard her mumble.

The man who had fired the gun was awestruck. The bullet had been sliced in two, and she hadn't even been looking at him! She had literally deflected his attack backwards.

"Alright." Iris continued. "Who pulled that?" She had an eerie calm to her voice. She gave them no chance to respond, holding out her left hand while resting her sword across her shoulders.

"**Hibari-Ryu...."**

She charged, like a living whirlwind.

**"Midaregami!"**

She suddenly stood on the other side of one of the mobs, sword pointed forward. The entire group fell.

Vic's jaw dropped in shock. Sure, he had expected her to be strong, but...this was a bit of a shock. He suddenly was very glad that they hadn't started fighting. This Iris was the first person he had ever met who could have stood up to his upgrade, and he began to wonder about how much of an advantage he actually had.

Sadly, as a result of his contemplation, he failed to notice the man approaching him from behind, armed with a cutlass raised above his head. The attacker screamed a deep, savage scream, and Vic snapped back to reality, spinning around and catching the blade in his left hand. He grinned at the sword wielding thug, crushing the blade in his hand and drawing his Multitool.

"**Multitool Strike! WRENCH!"**

The bizarre swiss army knife sprouted a foot long wrench, which Vic struck the man in the stomach with, sending him sprawling backward. The bandit's body coiled, and by the time he had looked back up, he was facing a far nastier threat.

**"Pressure One...Iron Hammer!" **Vic's fist slammed into the man's face, sending him flying back into a group of his comrades. They fell like bowling pins.

It was too much. The fight was gone from the mercenaries. They had signed on to this job to lord over villagers, not fight monsters. In an almost comical fashion, they all took flight, eager to get out of the square as quickly as they could. The fell over each other as they ran, each one blind with fear. Vic grinned arrogantly.

"So, still think I can't become King of the Pirates?"

* * *

"I DO NOT TOLERATE FAILURE!!!"

The bandits were to shaken my the earlier battle to challenge the Marine berating them. Shnellem was not very terrifying himself, but compounded with their defeat, the screaming captain was too much to handle.

"There were two of them! TWO!! AND ONE WAS IN A CAGE!!" Shnellem continued. "I can see no reason for this failure except massive stupidity on your part! I should have the lot of you flogged for this disastrous display of total -"

"Why are you ragging my men, Captain?" a calm, terrifying voice came from the doorway of the Marine office the meeting was taking place in. Shnellem turned to see the last person he expected to see.

When he had worked out this arrangement, Shnellem hired all of his mercenaries at once, from one group of bandits. He did not fear them, he was certain that they would do what he said as long as he paid them. But he feared their leader. No matter how high his office, Feral would always make the captain's blood run cold.

Feral was a hulking man, easily seven feet tall, and every inch of him was wiry muscle. He had long, shaggy hair that gave the impression of some great beast's mane. His hands were tipped in claws, and his mouth seemed full of jagged teeth. He wore a vest and a pair of slacks, nothing more, displaying his scarred, muscular chest.

"I said," The beast of a man repeated, "why are you berating my men?"

"Feral." The caption said, his voice leveling at last. "We...have a bit of a mess. A pirate seems to have freed an executee from prison, and the two of them have decimated half of your force." A small part of Shnellem felt very smug saying this. Feral turned to his men.

"So, two people beat the lot of you, huh?" He asked. The thugs nodded, expecting the worst. Feral stared at them, and burst out laughing.

"Wahahahahahaha!" He screamed, almost doubling over with mirth. His men, utterly confused, nervously joined in. Shnellem was not amused.

"I don't understand! Half of your force was beaten! Doesn't that worry you?" Feral stopped laughing.

"Look, 'captain'," Feral snarled. "I have been dieing of boredom out here. So, when I hear that some upstarts wreaked my force of skilled murderers, all that means is that I finally get to do something. Now, are you telling me ya don't like it when I have fun?" he continued, smiling very dangerously.

"No...n-not at all." Shnellem replied, scared out of his mind. He didn't know a lot about the man, but Feral was giving him the look that sharks gave minnows.

"Wonderful. Now, if you'll excuse me." Feral left the room, content and excited. Snellem looked after him, his face a mask of terror and fury.

"You realize that he is going to cause massive collateral damage, sir." His lieutenant, Willard, stated. Shnellem snarled.

"They will understand. This is about justice."

* * *

"Hey, barkeep, keep 'em comin'!"

Vic had been a bit surprised that there had been a tavern in town that would serve them. He'd always figured that being a pirate would make a person universally hated, and that he would have to force service from people. He clearly had not counted on the resentment people had for the navy.

Iris was an interesting one. She was clearly a skilled swordswoman, and seemed to walk a line between warrior discipline and chaotic freedom. Vic liked her. She would be an excellent first mate.

"Sooooo...you're an Aeronaught." She asked.

"Yup. Apparently I flew here from the East Blue."

"Yeah, thanks for clarifying that. I mean, that is the only way a person could not know what ocean they are on." Iris laughed. "Hey, barkeep, more for the wanted murderer!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Yelled the barkeep. "Thanks for mopping up those lowlifes, by the way."

"So," Vic asked Iris. "What exactly did you do to piss the captain off so much?"

Iris chuckled. "I saved his life."

"Really."

"Yeah. He's walking down the street, barking orders at everyone, and suddenly, a piece of one of the roofs just falls off, flying straight at him. I jump up, cut the thing in half, only he doesn't see that. He see's me in front of him, sword drawn, starts screaming that I'm an assassin, and one of his men sucker punches me and locks me up."

"Wow, and he's in charge?"

"Yup. Gotta love the Marine chain of command."

"HEY PIRATES!" Vic and Iris turned to the doorway, were the voice had come from. A huge, monster of a man stood in it, grinning savagely at them. "Lets have a little talk."

"Huh?" Vic mumbled, not terribly interested. Iris, however, grinned.

"Your Feral, right?" She said.

"Thats my name." the man replied.

"Here for revenge for your men?"

"Here for a workout, girly. Too bad I gotta ruin a face like that."

"Oh, someone please save me!" Iris squealed sarcastically.

"Who is this, Iris? Old boyfriend?" Vic asked.

"He wishes. This is Feral, a king among worms, the boss of those guys we pasted earlier."

Feral grinned. Anyone with this much confidence would certainly put up a good fight. He cracked his knuckles with anticipation. But at that moment, Iris did something he did not expect.

"Hey, Vic, I don't feel like fighting this guy."

Vic laughed. "What, scared?"

"No, I just wanna see if the self proclaimed King of the Pirates can handle a common thug." Iris taunted.

"P-please." The bartender begged. "Please take this outside, I don't want bloodshed in my bar!"

Vic and Feral stared at each other. No words were needed, both knew what was inevitable.

"I like the drinks here." Vic mumbled.

"Same here." agreed Feral. "We'll do this outside."

* * *

Vic was surprised to see the outside totally barren. He had been expecting some sort of ambush, some surprise attack. As wonderful as it was that that had not happened, it also meant that Feral thought he could take him, an idea that Vic had to dispel.

"So." Feral called out. "One of my men told my you said you were gonna be King of the Pirates. That true?"

"Yeah." Vic answered, lowering his goggles over his eyes. Feral laughed.

"Seriously!? Man, I'm gonna enjoy this!" Vic glared at him.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" he yelled. Feral just smirked.

"Tell you what. I'll tell you when you lose." Vic trembled with rage, and ran at the fearsome bandit, his left arm drawing back into a fist.

** "Pressure One....."**

He struck.

**"Iron Hammer!" **Feral recoiled in pain for a moment, sliding three feet backward...

...and then he looked up, smiling.

"Is that it?" he asked, sounding a bit board, and more than a little disappointed. Vic's eyes widened in shock.

"Okay, you are a disappointment." Feral said mockingly. "If that was the best you have, I'll just finish you right now!" He dropped onto all fours, grinning like a hyena and snarling like a wolf. Suddenly, he let out a roar, and vanished. Vic looked around nervously.

"Where'd he go, where'd he go..." he muttered. Suddenly, Feral struck.

Like a beast on the hunt, he fell from the sky in a deadly pounce.

**"Savage strike!"**

A huge cloud of dust covered the area. When it cleared, there stood Feral, panting and grinning, while Vic lay at his feet. Feral began to speak.

"World's changed, kid. D'ya know, before I did this, I thought the same thing, I'd become the King of the Pirates." he laughed. "Then I realized that dreams don't profit. Only profit does that." He raised his hand above Vic.

"That's what I found so funny. Anyone over the age of five who thinks they'll achieve something like that...that is funny." He flexed his claw. "So be proud. After I kill you, your little joke is going to send me home with a smile." He plunged his claw down...

...and it was caught by Vic's human right hand.

Feral was stunned. This wasn't possible. How could he be this strong? Stranger still, why did he feel such fear when he looked in this kids eyes. Vic's glare was one of the mist terrifying thing's he had ever seen.

"Even if that were true..." Vic spoke in a low, rage filled voice. "Even if my dream failed the day I dreamed it...I would not stop. Cause..." his grip tightened.

"This dream isn't just mine to abandon." Then, though the destruction of Vic's jacket, something moved. There was an odd dial, like a display on a slot machine, on his left shoulder. It displayed the number one, but at that moment it suddenly changed, clicking and spinning to the number two.

"I can't ruin either of our dreams...so cynics like you..." his grip tightened and his fist drew back.

"PEOPLE LIKE YOU CANNOT GET IN THE WAY!!! **PRESSURE.....TWO!!!!"**

As Vic's fist struck, it was like a barrage of cannons had struck the plaza. The ground shock, and feral, terrible Feral, went flying into the sky, flying over the buildings and out of town before he hit the ground. Iris looked on in awe.

As did, interestingly enough, Shnellem and his marines. Schnellem had at last seen something that he had nothing to say to. He watched as the woman who he hated so helped the arrogant pirate off of the ground, watched as the two of them headed out of town. By the time, he had his bearings again, the two were gone, and he found his own men pointing weapons at him.

"What is the meaning of this!" he snarled. Willard smirked at him.

"You hired bandits to keep the peace. Now they're gone. And though it stands against 'absolute justice', you are going to be tried for it."

* * *

"So, great captain, where are we bound?" Iris asked. She had begun to talk again after Vic began to walk on his own. Vic smiled.

"Well, I'm pretty sure my crash was a sign that I can't fly to the Grand line, so I guess we'll need to get a ship. No any good coastal towns?"

"I've heard of one called Fuschia. It's a pretty ritzy place, and a friend of mine said you don't need a boat to get there."

"Great!" Vic said. "Lets head there!" Iris rolled her eyes.

"I dunno, with your luck, we might end up in Mariejoae." She taunted.

"Hey. I was in a plane, it makes sense!" Vic retorted. Iris stuck out her tongue. They continued walking for a while, until suddenly Iris stopped.

"Vic?"

"Yeah?"

"I wasn't going to join you." Vic turned in surprise.

"I was going to ditch you as soon as you got a ship. I guess I figured that I had a dream that meant something, and that I couldn't let you weaken my resolve." She finished. Vic finally spoke.

"So why are you here?"

"You would have said that even if you knew you were going to die." Vic looked confused, and iris continued.

"We're a lot more alike then I thought. You...you're willing to die for your dream, and so am I. So...I am with you until the end." Vic smiled at this, but the smile ended and he saw the glare on Iris's face.

"Be warned, though. I am totally willing to die on the path to the title of worlds greatest swordsman. So, if you lose your passion, if you ever give up and slow me down....you will die upon Misora."

Vic looked at her completely seriously before responding.

"If I give up," he said. "I have already died." he grinned. Iris smiled back. And so, two dreamers set off on the road to their dreams.

**Ok, that is the end of this chapter, sorry for the wait. As I said, I desperately need a doctor. I will consider all comers, just no logia fruit.**


	4. An Undead Conman The Town of Fear

**AAAAANNNNNND…..go!**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own one piece. Do I hafta do this every chapter?

"Soooooo…you said a few days travel.

"Yup."

"As in, we will be there in a few days."

"Uh huh."

"Do you count a week as a few days?"

"Shut up, Vic."

They had been traveling for quite a while now, and Vic was getting frustrated. A port town in a few days indeed – they had been walking for about a week, and Vic couldn't even see the ocean, much less a port.

Vic couldn't really say what he thought of Iris yet. She was strong, no doubt about that, but she was also the most sarcastic person that he had ever met. She was constantly making fun of him, hardly the way a first mate should treat her captain. Not that he was going to bring that up again. Last time he tried, she didn't stop laughing for a whole ten minutes. Vic was, however, severely beginning to doubt her directional skills.

"If only I had my plane…" he said aloud.

"If you had your plane, we wouldn't have met." Iris responded. Vic chuckled.

"Yeah. I guess that's true." He looked ahead on the road, noticing something. "Hey, is that a sign?"

It certainly was, and it was a wonder that the two of them had not noticed it before. It was huge, like a billboard, and seemed to be made of obsidian, with a golden plaque. The plaque read, _Welcome to Mollosalle, the Best Place to Live, _in flowery, sweeping print.

"Someone has a lot of hometown pride." Iris commented dryly.

"It was kind of like that were I lived too." Vic responded. "Generally, 'best place to live' translates to 'small farming town.' So, why are we here and not in Fuchsia?"

"Hmmmm….It doesn't make sense…we should have been there days ago!" She sighed. "Well, at least we've reached civilization. Fuchsia is pretty important, these people should know were it is."

"If it exists."

"Oh, like you've never gotten bad directions."

"I've also gotten lost. This feels more like that."

"Shut up, Vic." Iris began to scan the horizon. "I think I see the town, it's about half a mile down the road." Vic sighed with relief.

"Good. A pirate should not have to do this much walking. Ah, what I wouldn't give for a throttle in my hand, soaring though the clouds…"

Iris rolled her eyes.

* * *

As Vic had predicted, Mollosalle was little more than a small collection of buildings surrounded by masses of farmland. It contained a few stores, an inn (Vic sighed with relief), and a small Navy outpost that looked like little more than a sheriff's office. There was, however, one rather large building, towering above the others. It was gray, built of stone and brick, covered in stained glass windows and topped with a huge spire. There were exactly six huge windows, each elaborately decorated, and the entryway was flanked by a pair of huge pillars.

And it was around this building that a large crowd was gathered.

"Kaazan." Mumbled Iris.

"Huh?"

"I'm going to check out that church. You wanna come?"

"I'm not very religious." Vic laughed. "You check it out. I'll get us situated at the inn." Iris nodded. They parted ways, and she walked toward the mob.

She sensed fear in the people as soon as she was among them. Their attention was directed at a man in the middle. He wore a black overcoat that covered his entire body, and wore a wide brimmed hat upon his head. His face was incredibly thin, as if he had not eaten in days, and gave the impression of a vulture, waiting to descend.

"An evil has descended among you!" he roared. "At this very moment, wickedness works it's way toward the virgin heart of this town! For in the night, while good folk slept, descended the Ancient Hag, who entered the houses of your sleeping children, whispering dark secrets in their ears! And some children, they did follow the Hag, and read from her Crawling Book over her shoulder, forever tainted by it's twisted sorceries!"

"And so I have come, sent by the will of Kaazan, sent to wield His sacred Fire against the vile witch! I am your salvation!"

The crowd cheered, a cheer that amounted to a plea for help, a cheer of desperation. Iris shook her head. People needed to stand on their own feet, and this man was simply holding them back. She walked toward the inn, frustrated.

* * *

Vic was greeted by an equally strange site upon entering the inn. A…man?...was speaking to a smaller crowd, a bottle clasped in his hand. His entire body was swathed in bandages, save for the areas were his eyes were and a few parts of his head, tufts of hair visible. He wore a long, brown overcoat, and had a hammer at his waist.

"People of Mollesalle!" he yelled. "have I got a deal for you! From what I've heard, there are some problems with witches in these parts!" A murmur of approval went through the crowd, and the strange man continued.

"Sure, witches are nasty business. They lay curses, call hexes, and who's gonna stop them?"

"The Inquisitor?" one man yelled. A few people in the room laughed. The man sneered a bit.

"Right you are, but what are you going to do until he finds her? Till then, she'll be free to curse you all to her hearts content. Or she would be…" the man then held forth the bottle in his hand. It was a golden colored liquid, with a fancy label featuring a stereotypical, green skinned witch running for the hills.

"Cause now, with the help of Krazy Kyoya's Kurse-Be-Gone, you'll never have to worry about witches again!"

"See, I, Toma Kyoya, was cursed once, by the Hag herself!" Toma proclaimed. The crowd gasped.

"Yup, I was cursed. Couldn't move couldn't eat, couldn't sleep. But with a single bottle of Krazy Kyoya's Kurse-Be-Gone, I'm almost totally cured? All that's left of the Hag's curse is some body scars, and if it can do that to her spells, what chance does any other witch have? And for only five hundred beli, this cure can be yours!"

The crowd cheered, filled with hope.

"And," Toma continued, "Since I am such a nice guy, today only, buy one, get one free!" The crowd cheered even louder, and began buying bottles of the magic potion.

Vic stared on in amazement. That was it? A man with no credibility said something, and no one doubted it? He grabbed a bottle from one of the people around him, oblivious to his protests. He opened the bottle, and smelled it.

About a minute later, he stood on a table.

"Toma!" He yelled. "This potion is ingenious!"

"Thank you!" The bandaged man said. "I created it while –

"I mean, how to you make a curse banishing tonic with ink and urine? That seems pretty hard."

The entire room went silent. Toma finally spoke.

"You must be mistaken…"

"I dunno. If it looks like urine and smells like urine, it is probably urine! Come on, are you people really gonna buy into what this zombie is selling?"

At that moment, everyone in the tavern began to scramble away. Toma had begun to smile an eerie, forced smile.

"Excuse me." He said, still smiling. "Did you just call me a zombie?"

"Yes, I –

"**Kaazan Storm!"**

Vic had not noticed the hammer extending. He had not noticed the man jump. He had not noticed the vein rippling on Toma's forehead. So, he got smashed in the face. He flew back, slamming into the wall.

"Say it again!" roared Toma. "I dare you to say it again!" So, I'm a zombie, a mummy, a giant assed Frankenstein Monster made of dead people!!?!"

"I….didn't say any of that." Vic mumbled a bit confused.

"You drove away my business and slandered my product. For this, I can forgive you. But you, guy, have crossed the line. You are gonna die!" Vic stood up, clearing his head.

"Little problem with that." Vic sneered. "See, I'm not the King of the Pirates yet. So for now, I can't die."

"I don't care if you're the divine forefather of the Celestial dragons!" Toma shouted. "My name is Toma Kyoya, fallen Paladin and templar of the Church of Kaazan, and I will show you what that means!!!"

"Sure." Said Vic."Come and get me, corpse boy."

With a war cry, Toma charged.

**Yes I'm ending it here. I'm a bad man.**

**So, for right now, I am looking for villains. Feel free to submit anything, but that is my target. Peace out, y'all!**


	5. Crazy conflict! Iris fights the Church!

**Once again, my tale continues. **

**I do not own one piece.**

* * *

"This town sucks." Iris grumbled. She was probably being a bit harsh, as she really had no problem with the town itself. The air was clear, the countryside lush, there was little to complain about. But all of this was meaningless to her, for no matter where she went, she could hear the "holy words of Kaazan."

She did not hate the priesthood, really, but she didn't excuse them either. Every religion she had encountered tended to annoy her warrior spirit, and demagogues like the inquisitor only made it worse.

"Before one changes the world, one must change themselves…" She mumbled, as if intoning a prayer. "Though the cosmos may be ruled by spirits, the earth is the providence of the mortal, and only a mortal can change it." She laughed a little. Annoying as her master's words were at the time, they proved to be very good life lessons. Better to believe in one 's self then pray for protection.

She passed a mirror as she went through town, and looked at herself. Her dark hair was a mess, and she felt a bit naked without her armor. She would have to get some later.

"Can I play with your sword?" Iris spun around. A small girl was standing behind her, holding a daisy in her hand.

"I'm not sure you could lift it." Iris laughed. "Wait until you're older, then you can get your own." The girl stomped her foot in disappointment.

"I don't want to be a Bride of Kaazan, though!" She proclaimed. Iris looked at her in confusion.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Mom said that the only way girls could be warriors is if the became Brides of Kaazan, and I don't wanna do that!"

Iris stared at the girl skip away. "Bride of Kaazan…." She mumbled.

She _really _hated this town.

* * *

**"Kaazan….Storm!"**

This was beginning to get out of hand. Granted, Vic hadn't had many fights since leaving home – the one against feral made one – but this still seemed a bit ridicules. This man….Vic had heard legends of the Templars, so that partially explained his power. But still, it was hard to believe that this "Toma" was actually one of them.

The aforementioned man had just become a hurricane of destruction, spinning like a top toward his enemy, destroying everything in his path. Vic watched the storm…and began to count.

"What? Counting your last moments of life!? I'll help!" Toma shouted. "One, two, DIE!!!!!" He prepared to strike….

**"Pressure one! Iron Hammer!"**

The spinning was halted as Vic struck the attacker, sending him crashing into the bar counter. He hit the wall, and slumped to the ground, a broken bottle of brandy dribbling on his face.

"How…what?!" he mumbled. "How did you do that?" Vic grinned.

"Oh, it was just a simple matter of counting the number of times you spun per second. I had to go through a lot of stuff like that when I was trying to get my plane to work. Yah know, I wanted to put a gun on it, but the shots kept destroying the –

**BAM! **Toma's hammer came crashing down on Vic's head.

"Pay attention to me, you arrogant fool! **Kaazan…Judgement!" **Vic barely managed to roll out of the way as the hammer struck the floor, smashing a huge hole in the wood paneling. Vic groaned, pulling himself to his feet.

_I don't have time for this... _

* * *

"Hey, some new guy is fighting that zombie guy down at the tavern!" Iris had heard about an hour ago. She knew there was a problem.

"Damn it, Vic…" She mumbled. "Are you always gonna be this much trouble?" She hurried toward the tavern, trying to avert the situation, when she happened to pass the Inquisitor, still screaming at the streets.

"Remember, good people, to watch for the signs of the Hag. One who is in her service will be known by their nightly journeys, for a witch will spend the evening's with the demons of the late hours! Know that she who does this is a witch!"

Iris stopped. She? Oh, no, he was not going there.

"For since the beginning of time has woman been a creature of perversion and ungodliness, defying the words of the Six Spirits of Kaazan, loyal instead to the Hag, or the Ancient Way! So must they be taught discipline, and obedience, lest they – "

"**Oh, cut the self indulgent garbage!"**

The entire crowd turned and stared at Iris. The chanting priest gaped, mumbling as if trying to figure out what to say. Un-interrupted, Iris continued.

"Of course you're going to pick women, you swine! After all, if women are so evil, then I guess you're justified in behaving like a self indulgent, closed-minded, fear mongering zealot!"

"Y-you don't know what you are talking about!" The priest stammered, finding his words at last. "Words against me are words against Kaazan! I am a servitor of the sacred Spirit of fire, and I will not be addressed in this vulgar manner by an uneducated hoodlum!"

"So, you define education by blind faith?!" Iris yelled. "You know what, I don't think you even have any suspects! I think you're just doing this for your own personal glory!"

At this, the inquisitor's face went dark.

"In truth," he muttered. "I thought I had my culprit. There was a rogue Templar reported in this area. But now," He gestured to the crowd around him. "Now I see clearly! A woman, a sword carried on her back….and one who defies the word of Kaazan! The culprit…is non other then YOU, foul witch!"

"You have got to be kidding…" Iris mumbled.

"Fear not, good peasants, I will deliver you from this evil! With the sacred Fire of Kaazan, I shall smite this foul demon to the depths of Hell!" He produced a pair of chakrams, bladed rings, from his robes, and both burst into flame. Iris rolled her eyes and drew out Misora.

"Oh, I am gonna enjoy this!"

* * *

The room could hardly be recognized as a bar anymore, or anything other than a wasteland. The fight had almost destroyed everything, and the two fighters were ready for more. However, Vic suddenly noticed something that dulled his excitement.

"Hey…Toma, right?...what can we do to end this?"

"You can DIE!!!"

"No, really, there's something you don't know."

"All I know is that you have insulted me, and I will have my – "

"The building is collapsing."

Toma looked at Vic with confusion.

"Seriosly?"

"Yeah…I mean, we've been fighting for hours." At this, Toma smiled. He sat down on the ground, picked up a still intact bottle of whiskey, and drank deeply. Vic stared at him, a bit confused.

"So." He finally asked. "You said you were a Templar?"

"Ex-templar, I guess. The life wasn't one I really wanted." Toma responded. "I spent some time sailing around, then lost my boat in a game of cards…I guess I sorta wandered here after that." Suddenly, Vic grinned.

"Wait…can you navigate?"

"Yeah. Everyone in the priesthood is taught stuff like that. Why?"

"Wanna join my crew?" At this, Toma spat out his drink.

"But I was trying to kill you a few seconds ago!"

"And you almost succeeded! If you can also navigate, I can't think of anyone better!" Toma opened his mouth, as he had some sharp retort, then sighed.

"It's not like I have anything better to do. Besides, you're pretty strong, I guess I can respect that." He smiled, and pumped his fist in the air. "I guess you have yourself a Navigator!"

Vic began to respond, but before he could speak his words of glee, he was interrupted by a large number of police entering the tavern.

"You two are under arrest for disturbing the peace!"

* * *

"I will give you one chance, infidel! Surrender yourself to the purging Flame of Kaazan, and I will spare your –

"**Hibari-Ryu…Midaregami!" **The priest never had a chance to finish, barely dodging Iris's furious attack.

"You want to take me in, preacher?" She mocked. "You'll have to do more than talk." The inquisitor glared, raising both Chakrams to the sky.

"**Inferno of the Burning King!" **He lunged at her, the flames on his weapons beginning to spin like saws. He sliced at her furiously, mumbling benedictions in a lost language as he did. While Iris was able to block or dodge his attacks, she was surprised at his power; she noticed that one of his misses had cut almost all the way through a tree behind her. This wasn't going to make her back down, though.

"**Hibari-Ryu…Makka na Taiyou!" **Two slashes, faster than most eyes could comprehend, in the shape of an X, just as she had been taught. Yet somehow, the priest was not struck; he had vaulted over her, and was standing on the roof of one of the nearby houses.

**"Sacred Judgment of the Burning King!"**

The attack was so fast that Iris hadn't seen it coming. Like a burning nimbus, one of the chakram's hit her in the stomach. She crumbled to the ground. The priest descended to the crowd below.

"Behold, good people, I have defeated the witch! No more shall the Hag's machinations create fear and spread terror among you! Through the sacred light of Kaazan, you will continue to – "

"Hey, your holiness!"

A sound of shock echoed through the crowd. The swordswoman was on her feet once more.

"I don't know much about witches, but I do no a thing or two about swordsmen." Iris grinned arrogantly. "For example….." She drew Misora, and lowered into a fighting stance.

"We don't let scratches get in our way!" She charged toward the inquisitor, sword raised. The man crossed his weapons in front of himself, ready for the attack.

"**Hibari-Ryu Ougi…"**her sword was pointed right at him, her eyes filled with conviction. The priest was unnerved, one of his weapons slumped.

"**Kawa no Nagare!!" **

**Slam!**

Both Chakrams shattered like glass. The inquisitor, finally out of words, fell to the ground. Iris shook her head at him.

"A man of the cloth," she muttered, "should have far more conviction than you." With that, she began heading toward the tavern.

* * *

Toma was the one that spoke first.

"Arrest for disturbing the peace? Arrest…peace…rest in peace!? Like a Zombie?! I'LL KILL YOU!" Vic, however, held the murderous templar back.

"Let me handle this." He said confidently. **"Pressure two!"** His arm expanded, destroying his sleeve once again. He then held it up, and a small compartment on his wrist opened up.

**"Hurricane Shot!!!" **A blast of air shot from his wrist, scattering the police like bowling pins. Vic smiled with satisfaction…then his joy turned to fear as he heard a creaking noise. "RUN!"

The two of them bolted out, just missing getting buried by the collapsing building. Iris had arrived as soon as this occurred.

"What the hell happened to you?!" she demanded.

"What about you?!" Vic retorted, gesturing to the burnt gash on her stomach. Iris glared at him for a moment, the broke into laughter.

"Captain Vic," she said, "I think its time we left."

"Yeah, I was thinking that too. Hey, look, I got a navigator!" Vic grinned, patting Toma on the back. Iris looked at him, confused.

"We have a mummy navigator?"

They fought for half an hour before leaving town.

**Ok, we are done with another chapter. Keep sending me characters, all shapes, all sizes!**


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